Chain-connector



T. M. AVERY.

CHAIN CONNECTOR. ,APPIQICATION FILED 05017. I918.

Patented Aug. 24, 1920.

'4 a e w Z m w W Uurruo sTAr s PATENT OFFICE.

TRUE M. AVERY, OF GLE'NS FALLS, NEVV ASSIGNOR TOARROV-GRIP MANU- FACTURING 00., INC., YORK.

OF GLENS FALLS, NEW' YORK, A C'TBEPORATION OF NEW CHAIN-CONNECTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Au Original application filed February 10, 1917, Serial No. 147,858. Divid d and this application filed December 17, 1918.

To all whom i2- may concern:

Be it known that I, TRUE M. AVERY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Glens Falls, in the county of lVarren and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Chain-Connectors, of which the following is a specification.

This application is filed as a division of my pending applicatiom'Seria-l No. 147,856.

This invention relates to improvements in chain connectors for use in environments in which two chain links, or analogous parts, are to be secured in a relation of mutual adj acency, to some relatively fixed object. As an illustration of such an environment, reference may be made to the well known practice of providing the tires of motor trucks with external crosschainsfor anti-skidding purposes. g

The objects of the invention, briefly stated,

are to facilitate the operations of securing and releasing the adjacent chain links, to provide for the certain and reliable securement of said links under all conditions, and to' provide chain connector which, along with the above advantages, is strong and durable, readily applicable to the relatively fixed object adjacent which the links are to be secured and simple and inexpensive in con struction.

With the above objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of structure and relation appertaining to the combination of a pair of opposed hooks for the respective links, a'keeper having spring members which-are normally disposed in the chain link passage delimited by said hooks and which spring toward the hooks to close them relatively to said passage and preferably press against or engage the hooks but which may readily be manually sprung toward one another and thus disengaged from the hooks,-and a'supporting plate by which the connector may be mounted upon the relatively fixed object, all of which will be set forth in detail as the description proceeds.

' The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of a chain connector in which the features of the invention are incorporated,

Figs. 2 and 8 are, respectively, horizontal and vertical sectional views of the same,

Fi 4 is an elevation of a slightly modified construction, and

Serial No. 267,187.

it is especially adapted as an element of an anti-skid device for tires wherein a cross chain is arranged transversely of the tire, but it will be understood that the invention is susceptible of expression in other forms, adapting it to other environments of use.

The hooks 1 are mounted in opposed relation upon a suitable supporting plate 3 by which the chain connector may be attached to a relatively fixed object. In the adapta tion of the chain connector as an elementof an anti-skid device for tires, the plate 8 may, as shown, be formed to take over a spoke adjacent the folly, and as thus formed, will cooperate with a companion clamp member l, indicated by broken lines in Fig. 1 and the positional relation of the hooks 1 and the parts associated therewith is coordinated to the form of the plate as enabling its application to a particular wheel part, whereby when the plate is attached to said wheel part the hooks will be located between adjacent spokes and the terminals of the hooks will be in a plane transverse to the common plane of the spokes. lVhere the plate 3 is thus formed a clamp member to take over a spoke in the adaptation of the chain connector as an element of an anti-skid. device for tires, the hooks 1 maybe mounted upon or against a flange or web 5 which projects at a right angle from said plate and is adapted to have a fiat and somewhat extensive bearing against the felly whereby the opposite pull of the cross chains will, through said fiango or web, be directed against the folly. The present invention, however, is not concerned with these disclosed features of form and relation, which are peculiar to the specific chain connector shown only as said chain connector may have the character of an element of the anti-skid. device which forms the subject of my said pending application, Serial No. 147,856.

The two chain links, as regards both their engagement with, and disengagement from, the hooks are moved therough the space between the adjacent hook terminals and the hooks are normally closed relatively to said space by a keeper shown at 2 in Figs. 13 and at 2 in Figs. 4 and 5.

According to the invention the keeper consists of a pair of spring members 6 which are normally disposed between the hooks and, under their own resiliency, tend to spring away from one another and toward the hooks, preferably pressing against the respective hook terminals. In the embodiments shown and preferred the members 6 are formed integral with a connecting bow portion 7.

. The keeper as an entirety is preferably movable relatively to the hooks and the spring members are, therefore, constructed to cooperate with the hooks in normally holding the keeper against displacement from its closed position. For this purpose said spring members may be provided with openings 8 to take over the hook terminals whereby the engagement of the spring members with the hooks is effective not only to close the hooks relatively to the space between them but also to lock the keeper in its closed position.

The disengagement of the spring members from the hooks is effected manually by pressing them inward or toward one another and for convenience of manipulation both spring members may be provided with projecting finger pieces 9. The keeper, having the above'characteristics of structure and operation, may be either an assembled or a free part of the chain connector, the keeper 2 of Figs. 1-3 being'anassembled part and the keeper 2 of Figs. 4 and 5 being a free part.

' An'assembled keeper is preferred since there is no liability of its loss.

Where the keeper is assembled it is preferably mounted for pivotal movement in a plane at a right angle to the common plane of the hook terminals whereby, like a free keeper, such as the keeper 2, it may, upon the disengagei'nent of the spring members 6 from the hooks, be moved wholly beyond or clear of the space between the adjacent hook terminals, thereby to facilitate the engagement or disengagement of the chain links. Thus the keeper 2 has its spring members 6 provided with projecting cars 10 by which it is pivoted, as at 11, to a lug 12 formed on the plate'3 and located adjacent the edge thereof remote from the flange or web 5.

Where the hooks 1 are in cooperation with the flange or web 5 they may be integral with said flange or web, as disclosed in my pendingapplication, Serial No. 244,269, the same being another division of my said application Serial No. 147,856, or they may, as shown, be made separately from said flange or web and assembled to fit or bear against the same. Thus the flange or web 5 has an intermediate recess 13 and end lugs 14 provided with inwardly V inclined edges 15.

The hooks 1 are formed as parts of an open link whose bow portion is mounted within the recess 13 to bear against both of the lugs 14 and is secured by a pin 16 fixed to the plate 3.and having a head 17 for holding said link against displacement.

Having fully described my invention, I claim:

1. A device for securing chains comprising an attachment plate provided with a pair of opposed hooks having their terminals in ads .jacency whereby to delimit an intervening space which provides a passage common to both links to be secured and a keeper including a pair of spring members normally disposed in said passage to spring outward relatively to one another and toward the hook terminals, thereby to close the hooks relatively to said passage.

2. A device for securing chains comprising an attachment plate provided with a pair of opposed-hooks having their terminals in adjacency whereby to delimit an intervening space which provides a passage common to both links to be secured and a keeper comprising a pair of spring members normally disposed in said passage to spring outward relatively V to one another and to press against the hook terminals, thereby to close the hooks relatively to said passage, and a bow portion integrally connecting said spring members.

3. A devicefor securing chains comprising an attachment plate provided with a pair of opposed hooks having their terminals in adjacency whereby, to delimit an intervening space which provides a passage common to both links to be secured and a bodily movable keeper including a pair of spring members normally disposed in said passage to spring outward relatively to one another and to press against the hook terminals, thereby to close the hooks relatively to said passage, said spring members having openings to take over the hook terminals thereby normally to lock the keeper against displacement.

4. A device for securing chains comprising an attachment plate provided with a pair of opposed hooks and a keeper including a pair of transversely movable spring members normally disposed in the space between the terminals or" the hooks and tending to spring outward relatively to one another and against the hook terminals, thereby normally to close the hooks, said spring members being movable relatively inward or toward one another to effect their disengagement from the hooks.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

TRUE M. AVERY;

Witnesses:

GLENCORA BEAUDOIN, ELIZABETH S. CovELL. 

